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Older, more traditional free book notes provider with more cluttered interface. Offers information about the setting, characters, conflict themes, and mood. Also has chapter summaries. Downloadable versions are also available for purchase through their online store.

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Our Summary of Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Walter Dean Myers's work 'Monster' is a story about the trial of a sixteen-year old male named Steve Harmon. Myers structures the work where the story is told from Steve's perspective, which makes the decision to struggle the novel in this way logical. Myers develops a character who is a filmmaker and structures the work in two parts, or formats. For one, Steve writes about his observations in a notebook that he keeps in his cell and brings with him to the courthouse; however, by the end of the work, Myers closes the novel with a screenplay format, which includes character names, camera directions, and dialog. Myers structures the plot of the work in a simple, popular storyline. Steve is in jail awaiting his trial; he experiences flashbacks of his old life in contrast to his present; he experiences a rollercoaster of emotions; the threat of violence looms throughout his present environment; he battles with the beliefs about how his parents view him; and he is uncertain about his attorney. To move the story forward, Myers shifts between the courtroom and images of the crime scene. Myers also reveals Steve's attorney, Kathy O'Brien who doesn't believe he has a good chance. By the end of 'Monster,' Myers leaves the reader in doubt over Steve's guilt or innocence.

More Books by Walter Dean Myers

FreeBookNotes has 30 more books by Walter Dean Myers, with a total of 116 study guides.